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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: net · snap · rule · arm · leaves · fine · court · rush

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. rule — a law
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. court — for sport
  5. net — for catching
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. rule — government
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. fine — all right
  16. court — of a king
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. snap — to click
  20. net — after costs
  21. court — of law
  22. net — in sport
  23. fine — high quality
  24. leaves — of a tree

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com